Indoor enthusiast. Co-founder of Stack Overflow, Discourse, and staygold.us. Disclaimer: I have no idea what I'm talking about. Let's be kind to each other. Find me
software development concepts
I happened upon Russ Walter’s Secret Guide to Computers around 1993. By then it was already up to the 18th edition. The first version of The Secret Guide was published in 1972 as a self-typed 17 page pamphlet. The latest edition is a hulking 607-page monster, a
javascript
I have something of a clock fetish. My latest acquisition is a nixie tube clock from my wife, as a Christmas gift. My computers aren’t just giant calculators, they’re also clocks. Unfortunately, my nixie clock is a much more reliable timekeeper than any of my PCs are. There’
content moderation
This Gawker post on blog clichés hits very close to home. It’s an “annotated list of words, phrases, and terms that have long overstayed their welcome in the media-blogosphere.” I’d have to agree. I’m guilty of a few of these, too. * Best. [ultimate thing or experience.
software development concepts
As I recently discovered, playback of high definition video is very demanding. You’ll need a beefy PC to achieve the holy grail of maximum 1080p (1920x1080) resolution playback. Here are the minimum system requirements according to Cyberlink: * Very fast single core CPU (3.2+ GHz Pentium 4, 2.0+
hdtv
Instead of one giant monitor, I’d rather have multiple moderately large monitors. I’m a card-carrying member of the prestigious three monitor club. But giant monitors have their charms, too; there is something to be said for an enormous, contiguous display area. But large monitors tend to be
video codecs
Playing video on a computer has always been a crapshoot. You must have the correct video codec installed, the same video codec that the clip was encoded with. If you don’t, the video won’t play. You’ll have to find, download, and install the proper codec first. It’
usability
The standard login form is everywhere. It’s unavoidable. And it’s a giant pain in the butt. As much as we see login forms every day, you’d think we would have mastered them by now. Unfortunately, we haven’t. Here’s what I’ve observed users doing, over
communication skills
As software developers, we’re great at communicating with computers. But we’re typically not so great at communicating with other people. Esther Schindler’s recent interview with Steve McConnell illustrates how this aspect of our personality tends to work against us: Marketers, sales staff, and upper management all tend
blogging
You might read a post on this blog and decide I’m full of crap. That’s fine. I often am full of crap. I encourage you to leave a comment explaining why you feel this way. And, while you’re at it, feel free to point out any errors
programming languages
Eric Lippert is one of my favorite Microsoft bloggers. He’s one of those people who reminds you that Microsoft, despite all its problems, still employs a lot of incredibly thoughtful, near-genius programmers. Take a look at his greatest hits: * How many Microsoft employees does it take to change
programming languages
In an earlier post on the philosophy of code comments, I noted that the best kind of comments are the ones you don’t need. Allow me to clarify that point. You should first strive to make your code as simple as possible to understand without relying on comments as
hardware
I recently had a noisy fan failure in my ASUS Vento 3600 case. The particular fan that failed was the 80mm fan in the front panel, which is responsible for circulating air by the hard drives in the front of the case. I disconnected it while I considered my options.